Through the Flames
by iAMwhatIamK
Summary: This isn't where I imagined I would be...I think this is a start of a great friendship...I want to be with you for as long as I live...No, what have I done...I've been on my own for as long as I can remember…I can't live without you. Writing project for school. Rated T-M for violence.


**Through the Fire**

**A/N: I worte this story over a year ago for a Creative Writing class. The project was to write you own or rewrite a fairytale. One of my favorite stories is Beauty and the Beast (I love the Disney movie too), so I choose that and combined that story with the plot of Sintel, a short film (you can find it on YouTube).**

**Warning: Contains combat, blood, and death. This is one of my more dark stories.**

Snow blew around my face, nearly blinding me. My body ached after hours of travel. How in the world did I end up here? This isn't where I imagined I would be. How much further did I have to go? Over the wind, I hear a quiet noise: running feet on snow. I turn in time to see a man jumping through the air toward me. He lands on top of me, posing his weapon over his head. I kick my legs up and hit him in the chest. The weapon flies from his hand as he falls back into the snow. I get up and run. He slams his body into mine and throws me up against an ice wall. His knife pierces my arm and my scream echoes through the air. I bring my knee up and the man keels over in pain. I make a break for it, the man soon in hot pursuit. I see his weapon, a sort of javelin-walking stick hybrid. I drop to the ground, grab it, and roll over. His body is stopped by the weapon and the sharp point goes through him. The body falls on top of me, warm blood seeping into my clothes. I push the man off and, taking his weapon, continue on my journey. The fight has used the last of my energy. Darkness grows in the corners of my vision. Keep going, you can do it, I tell myself. I lean on my new weapon for support. Slowly, I fade into the darkness. Come on, my brain shouts at me as I fall into the snow. I can't go any further. The world around me fades away into oblivion.

On the edge of consciousness, I hear the sound of a fire. I open my eyes and find I'm in a sort of hut. A pot sits over a fire in the center of the room; the walls are decorated with painted furs and trinkets that look strange to me. I try to sit up and wince in pain. I look down at my arm; it's been bandaged. I also note that my bloody outer clothes are gone and I'm in my tank top and pants. The air smells delicious.

The fur flap that serves as a door moves, and an older man walks into the room. "Ah, you're up. I was afraid I was too late." He grabs a type of medicine bowl and fills it with the contents of the pot. "Here," he says, handing it to me.

"Thank you," I whisper, looking at the bowl of soup. "Where am I?"

"Not far up the mountain from where I found you. You're a lucky one, child. I was outdoors when I heard a scream. I came to investigate and I found you." He sits down, Indian style, across from me. "So, what brings you out here, child?"

I look down at the liquid he's given to me. I can clearly see my reflection in it. What used to be full of life and hope bears only pain and exhaustion. "I'm looking for someone."

"Oh, someone of great importance to you?" I nod me head. "You know, my dear, it is dangerous to make this type of journey alone."

I take a deep breath, drink some of the broth. "I've been on my own for as long as I can remember…"

* * *

I run through the streets, careful not to attract any attention to myself. In my hand I carry a newly dead bird, my only meal for the next few days. I had to be careful guarding it for fear that it would be taken from me. Rounding the corner, I freeze; a group of boys stands near the end. I turn to go back.

"Hey guys, look" a random kid screams; they've seen me. I run through the streets, dodging carts and people, pursued by the pack of boys. Out of nowhere, a wall appears in front of me; I'm trapped. "Come on, girlie, give us the bird." I press my back against the wall. A few of them have knives. Many of their ribs poke through their skin, hunger burns in their eyes.

"You'll have to pry it from my hands."

"We can do that."

I prepare myself to fight, when suddenly, over my head, a shadow flies. In front of me lands a young man. "Go on, boys, I dare you to do something," he challenges. With that, the fight begins. Sweat and blood mix on my skin. Shapes of people are lost in the fury of the fight. "Get out of here," the guy screams at me. I turn to tell him I'm fine when one of the boys runs at me with a knife. The guy jumps on his back to help me get away. I carefully scale the wall and watch the battle below. Many in the group have run off, a few still remain. Blood is everywhere. I watch as the leader of the group takes his knife and attacks the guy that saved me. He slashes his chest. In pain, my hero collapse and watches as my oppressors run off. I go to him; he's unconscious. I flip him over and get a good look at him. He's extremely handsome: dark sandy hair, strong facial features, a heart breaker. The cut across his chest is deep and dirty; he needs help and now. With what strength I have, I take him to my place.

* * *

"Where am I?" I turn to face this guy. His face shows he's in pain as he tries to sit up.

"Hey, stay down, alright." I smile at him and go to his side. "You're at my place. I brought you here after the fight 3 days ago. You've been unconscious since." I remove the bandages that I put on his chest and put some more ointment on the wound. "You're going to have a real bad scar, but you'll live."

"You don't have to do this."

"I know." I go over to a bucket I keep water in and get him a glass. "Why did you do that? Come and help me, I mean?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "It just seemed like the right thing to do. Did I help save your chicken?"

I laugh. "No, but thank you for helping me anyway, and," I say as I kneel beside him, "just so you know, I can take care of myself."

He put his hand gently on mine. "That might be so, but you shouldn't have to." I feel my cheeks grow hot; I turn away from him. Realizing he hit a soft spot, he changes the subject. "So, do you have a name?"

"Ember."

"Ember; that's very fitting."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shout at him defensively and slightly insulted.

"Nothing, all I meant was that you have a kind of fire in you."

I push my hair away from my face and smile. "Thank you, I think. So what's your name?"

"Leon."

"Well, Leon, I think this is a start of a great friendship."

Leon stayed with me until he was well enough to take care of himself. When he left, I was certain he'd forget about me, but to my surprise, he came to see me daily. We'd walk through the streets together, talking, searching for food, things like that. He helped me to make some money by doing small projects for people and I taught him to hunt. Our friendship grew and grew. He knew my deepest secrets, my fears, my past. I trusted him with my life and he trusted me with his.

Nearly a year after I'd met him, we were sitting at my place, watching the sunset. "Ember, where do you think we stand right now? I mean, relationship wise?"

I look back at him, confused, and then lean back on his chest. "I don't know Leon, but where ever it is, I like it just the same."

"I do too, but I think we can do better." There's a long silence. "Ember, I love you, and I don't want to go another day without you. I want to be with you for as long as I live."

"I do too."

He takes my face in his hand and turns it gently toward him. I turn my body so I'm facing him. "Ember," he whispers, "will you marry me?" The world stops; only Leon and I matter right now, only we exist. I see the golden band in his hand, him patiently waiting for an answer. He puts the ring on my finger. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him hard. I feel his strong arms wrap themselves around me. I pull away, tears in my eyes, a smile on my face. I look over my future husband, admiring the man I've fallen for. Despite the large scar on his chest from the night he came to my rescue, he's perfect. Come to think of it, even his scar is perfect; it marks the day we met one another. We just sit there and smile at one another.

The next instant shatters the perfect moment. A cold wind blows around the room. In the center of the room, a hauntingly beautiful woman appears. Leon takes a step in front of me to protect me. "What do you want?"

An evil smile comes to the woman's face. "I want your happiness." Suddenly, a dark force surrounds Leon and begins to pull him away from me. I grab his hand, pull with every ounce of energy I have, and refuse to let go. The woman flies out the window, Leon and I following her. I dangle stories above the ground. My hand begins to slip.

"Don't leave me!" I scream. I see tears in his eyes as I begin to go. He tries to hold on to me, but it's useless. I fall and the last thing I hear is him screaming my name.

* * *

"I landed on someone's roof, and was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I started after them." I take a sip of soup. "It's been several months since I've seen him. I'm worried I've lost him forever."

"Do not worry child, not all hope is lost," the man says wiping tears from my eyes. "I know the witch you speak of." For the first time in months, I feel hopeful. "She lost her one love years ago, so now she takes the loves of others so they might also know her own pain. You have fallen prey to her terrible game, I'm afraid."

"Where can I find him?"

"Now, child, you must know something about her. She makes it impossible for those who are looking for their loved ones to find them. Even if they do, there is little chance they realize it. I can only imagine what she's done to your Leon."

"How do I get him back?"

"You must kill her; only then can you be reunited with your love." He stands up, picks up the weapon, and hands it to me. "Take this. Use it only on her, nothing else. Now, how to get there…"

* * *

A dark castle rose above me. Leon was in there somewhere. Carrying my new weapon, I walk to the doors and push them open. Wandering through the dark halls, I search for her room. The man had said when he first saw the castle, he'd seen a light coming from the north tower. That's were I was headed. The weapon was out in front, ready to greet any that tried to harm me. Nearing the north tower, I hear a noise. Cautiously, I proceed down the hall. Out of the shadows, a sort of beast emerges and attacks me. Its strength surprises me; it rips flesh with its nails. It pushes me down and goes in for the kill. I raise the weapon over me and it gets caught in his mouth. The creature looks at me, rage in its eyes. Suddenly, the emotion changes; he has a look of recognition. Using all my strength, throw the animal off me. He lands hard on the floor. Grabbing my weapon, I quickly cut a part of his neck. Blood flies through the air; I've delivered the killing blow. The creature stares up at me, its eyes full of questions. Looking over him I see a scar on its chest, one identical to Leon's. Realization dawns on me. "Leon?!" I force out. He tries to move toward me, but he hurts too much. "No, what have I done?"

"It's sad, isn't it?" I turn and see the witch standing in the doorway. "Your true love, dying, by your hand; how devastating."

"Why?!" I scream at her.

"I shouldn't have to be the only one that feels like this. Others should know loss like I do," she screams back.

My rage throws me forward and I start to fight her, hand to hand. With every move, she blocks my blows. Left punch, leg sweep, right punch, whatever it was, she blocked it.

"You didn't listen to the mountain man, did you dearie? And now the poor boy's dying. Clever plan, isn't it? Transform them so either some hunter kills them or nature does. I must admit, you're the first girl that's come here for her man." She grabs my hands and stares into my soul with her eyes. "You really loved him, didn't you?" Tears begin to build in my eyes. "You did; it was a kind of love that's once in a lifetime, right?" I pull myself from her hands. I finger my knife, certain to keep it hidden from her. "I had that once, a long time ago. Now you know how I feel!"

Rage compels me forward. I reach for knife and before she can react, I punch up on her stomach. Her eyes grow big as blood pours over my hand. I lean in and whisper in her ear. "And now you know his pain." I plunge the knife deeper and twist it. I push the woman to the ground and watch as she dies.

Leon's breathing is hard. He's changing back now; I broke the spell. I run to his side. "Leon, please," I say as I press my hand against the wound to stop the blood flow, "please don't leave me." He tries to say my name, but can't. He touches my face gently, his sad eyes look up at me; he isn't going to make it. Hot angry tears flow down my cheeks. "Why did it have to happen this way?" Out of the corner of my eye, I see my weapon. I reach for it and slowly, without a second thought, I push it through my middle. Leon's eyes are filled with questions, horror, and surprise. I pull the weapon out, my blood covering it. "I can't live without you, Leon. If I can't be with you in life, I'll do it in death." A faint smile crosses his face. The last thing I feel is his warm body against mine, my head resting on him. The last thing I hear is our breathing, slowly fading, but in perfect harmony with one another. The last thing I see is my hand on his, blood covering it, the gold ring on my finger, still shining.

**A/N: Let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading.**


End file.
